


Fireside

by 5021ZAIN



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: 21st District Police Station (Chicago PD), ? - Freeform, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love, Photography, Romance, Song Lyrics, Upstead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5021ZAIN/pseuds/5021ZAIN
Summary: Hailey and Jay spend their first Christmas together.
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 26
Kudos: 60





	1. photograph

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I (unfortunately) don't own Jay Halstead or Hailey Upton, they're all Dick Wolf's puppies.

**_we made these memories for ourselves (...) and time’s forever frozen, still_ **

**TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22** **  
****J** ay took a sip from the coffee cup he was holding and “So.” he began, catching Hailey’s attention. The blonde detective who was sitting next to him immediately looked at him, her blue eyes fixated on the thousands of freckles on his face.

They were on a stakeout, sitting in the restricted space of the van Sgt. Platt had assigned them.

Earlier that morning, Voight had entered the bullpen announcing that they'd caught a case: three luggages containing three female bodies were found in different places (a lake, a train station and a park), bringing to light an old cold case with the exact same modus operandi, for which the main suspect never got convicted because of a lack of evidence.  
Jeremy Baker was now their target, with Voight being so sure he was _the_ man, and the whole intelligence unit was determined to see him rot in jail.

“What are we doing on the 24th?” Jay asked Hailey, quickly glancing at her face with a sheepish smile and then focusing his attention on a loose thread that was coming from the black jeans she was wearing, his finger playing with it.

Hailey chuckled a little. “ _We?_ ” she asked back in a surprised tone. Jay’s cheeks were now of a rosy color, and it was honestly an adorable sight to see.

He nodded and, “Yeah, so _we_ can get up together on Christmas Day!”, he explained lightheartedly, winking at her. “I’ll be your first Christmas gift, see how exciting that sounds?” he added then with a smug smile.

“Hmm, yeah, sure,” Hailey playfully muttered.

Jay gasped, feigning to be offended by her explicitly ironic tone. “My ego…” he commented with a pout.

Hailey bumped her elbows with his, “I’m sure it’s fine, especially after that barista hit on you this morning,” she replied with a knowing expression.  
At that, Jay put his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her against his body: “Aw, you're jealous!” he teased her.

Hailey rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything because, to be fair, he was kind of right. When they went to their usual coffee place that morning and saw the (new) barista blatantly flirting with Jay, she couldn’t deny it made her a little annoyed.

After a while, “Yes,” she mumbled.

“ _Yes_ you’re jealous? I knew it!” he exclaimed, his lips curled in a victorious smile.

Hailey pulled away from his wrap around her shoulder, “Yes, we can spend the 24th together. But I’m considering changing my mind because you’re being too much right now,” she crossed her arms against her chest.

“Okay, okay. I’ll behave,” Jay raised his hands in surrender and then leaned his head against the van, his face was in a calm and serene expression.

It would’ve been their first Christmas as a couple and to say he was excited was an understatement. Not that he had any particular or extravagant idea of how they would spend the day – _if_ Voight decided to give them the day off –, but just the thought of being together was enough for him to be all smiley and cheerful.

“So, you like Christmas..?” Hailey asked after a couple of minutes of silence. Maybe it sounded like a dumb question, but it wasn’t obvious or automatic that a person would love the holiday.

“See, I know I look like I’m dead inside – Jay began, giggling and making her snort – but, yeah, I like Christmas,” he stated. “It brings up good memories,” he added then, wetting his lips.

Hailey turned to face him, “Yeah?”

Jay nodded and then placed his hand on her thigh absentmindedly. They shared a timid smile and then Jay decided to do something he’d never thought he would do, at least not this soon in their relationship. But then, the thought of it came to his mind so impulsively and naturally that it felt just _right_.

He took his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans. “Come here,” he told Hailey, pulling her body towards his, making her sit on his lap. Hailey enlaced her arms around his neck and waited for his next move.

Jay quickly pulled out a picture from his wallet and glanced at Hailey to see her reaction and couldn’t help but mirror the smile that creeped its way on her face. They were looking at a picture that Jay believed his father took when he was around three or four years old: it showed him and Will and their mother in the kitchen, all focused on decorating some cookies they had previously baked. Well, Will and their mother were looking at the camera, little Jay was too busy dipping his finger in some chocolate mousse.  
The corners of the picture were a little washed-up and some details of it faded, but you could still easily pinpoint what was happening in it.

“You had red hair!” Hailey exclaimed, her fingers brushing the surface of the picture, pointing a much younger and chunkier version of her boyfriend.

Jay chuckled at her words. “Yeah, and Will _always_ seems to forget about that,” he playfully rolled his eyes.

Hailey took the picture from his hand, their fingers slightly touching, and held it close, analyzing it in silence.  
“You and your mum kinda have the same smile,” she noticed, attentively looking at Jay’s mother and chuckling at the resemblance. “She looks happy…” Hailey added then, attentively studying the woman’s expression.

Jay exhaled a content sigh. “I believe she was, she loved Christmas,” he glimpsed at Hailey who was listening to him with genuine interest, a tiny smile on her face.  
He’d never told her about his mother, although she knew how much Jay had loved her. It was one of those topics that were never explicitly addressed because of the weight they carried with them.

“She didn’t really care for Thanksgiving, but she would go the extra mile for Christmas, it was the real deal,” Jay elaborated some more, now staring at the ground, a smile still on his face.

“Even her last one – Hailey felt his body stiffen a bit – it was like for a day she forgot she was sick and all she wanted was to enjoy the day, you know?” he quickly looked at Hailey and it was enough for her to see that his eyes were getting a little glossy, despite the apparently composed expression on his face.

She sat there, not daring to utter a word. Hailey was still processing the fact that he was talking about his mother.  
To _her_.   
It _was_ a big deal.

“It was just the two of us that day. She gifted me a pair of socks she’d been knitting just to pass the time while she did her chemo sessions. I remember she was kinda sad because she couldn’t give Will his pair, but she never said anything out loud. I think she was trying to protect me, you know? She didn’t want me to be sad because _she_ was,” Jay mumbled, turning his face towards Hailey and finding her staring at him with a slight frown, her blue eyes wide. He couldn’t help but lean closer to her and place a soft kiss on top of her head, trying to wipe that frown off her face.

“Don’t worry, I called him and cussed his ass soon as I got home,” he assured with an evil grin, scrunching his nose.

Hailey giggled, "Good," she showed him a proud grin, but then her features returned serious very quickly. "Do you still resent him? For not being there…" she asked, her tone free of any type of judgement.

Jay could sense that and didn't get defensive, he knew he could answer truthfully. In fact, "Sometimes," he admitted. He bit his lip and took a big breath, "What she went through… it wasn't fair to her, it never is. He-he _just_ needed to be there, you know? – Hailey slowly nodded, letting him know she was getting his perspective – Even just thinking about it makes me mad till this day," he chuckled nervously, closing his eyes and trying to relax.

Hailey reached for the nip of his neck, playing with the few short hair that was there, in an attempt to calm him down - she knew it would be comforting to him.

He took his time. "But I know my anger is just so little compared to the regret _he_ feels, and I think it's enough… he doesn't need me to hate him too," Jay mumbled, sighing and softening the hardened features of his face. "We're past that time."

Hailey looked at him with admiration in her eyes. If she was in his shoes, she honestly didn't know what she would've done. If she needed to be honest, though, she doubted she would've forgiven her brother. Hailey was very black or white on certain things.

Her eyes went back to the picture she was still holding. “She raised a good man,” Hailey said to Jay. She leaned over, pulling his face closer to hers and then placed a kiss on his stubbly cheek.

Jay tightened his grip around Hailey’s waist, hiding his embarrassment by burying his head in the crook of her neck. He was good at a lot of things, but receiving compliments just wasn’t one of them.

“Oh, he’s blushing…” the blonde teased him some more, knowing it would make his cheeks redder. “By the way, I wanna see you in those socks,” she added in casually.

“In _just_ the socks?” Jay asked with a smirk, slightly pinching her sides, “I can work with that.”

Hailey rolled her eyes at him, "You’re playing too much today," she shook her head, suppressing a giggle that was trying to escape from her lips.

Jay laughed out loud at her reaction, still holding her on his lap, his fingers gently entangled in the end of her blond hair, "It's not a no,” was his smart response, which made him earn a well-assessed punch on the arm from Hailey.

“Shut up.”


	2. behind the wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: mention and description of domestic abuse.

**_last night I heard the screaming, loud voices behind the wall_ **

**WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23**  
**H** ank exited his office with his phone still in his hand, and “What do we got?” he asked his team in his characteristic hoarse voice.

They all looked at him with frustrated faces, slightly shaking their heads. It seemed like none of them had the guts to tell him that they were stuck with the case, that all the leads they were following had gotten them to a dead-end in a way or the other.  
“Sarge…” Jay mumbled, shaking his head and exhaling a heavy sigh. 

Hank didn’t need him to elaborate more. He huffed, anger visible on his face. "I don't know if it's clear to you, but we're dealing with a serial killer who's been staying low for twenty years ‒ he seemed calm but his demeanor quickly changed ‒ you think he's gonna stop after just three victims?" he asked rhetorically, yelling at them.

Seeing that Voight seemed to have no intention of lowering his voice, Jay immediately checked on Hailey. Their eyes locked almost instantly: Jay was silently asking her if she was okay, knowing that hearing people yelling was a trigger for her, and the blonde lowered her gaze on her shoes, trying to avoid her boyfriend's piercing look and not giving him a proper answer. Well, her reaction _was_ an answer.

"You may need to think again," that being said, he loudly closed the door of his office and stormed out of the bullpen. 

Everyone exhaled heavily almost simultaneously, each of them getting back to their desk to sort the information they already had, trying to see if they'd been missing something.

Adam had his head in his hands, a groan escaped from his mouth: "How can someone murder people like it's nothing especially around Christmas," he muttered out loud to no one in particular, voicing his frustration with the case. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that when he started to believe he'd seen the worst of people, he would somehow always get a reality check proving him wrong. 

Hailey bitterly chuckled at his comment, scoffing. "It's not like shitty people stop being shitty just because it's Christmas and everyone's supposed to be good," she mumbled in a stern tone, getting up quickly and walking towards the break room. 

Her reply left the whole room quiet, none of her colleagues was expecting her comeback. 

Jay raised his eyebrows and got up to follow Hailey, ignoring the questioning looks he could sense were aimed at him.

As soon as he put his foot in the break room, "Hailey," he said softly, closing the door behind him.

The blonde was leaning against the table, a coffee mug between her palms. She immediately got defensive, "Jay, I'm fine, no need to check on me," she told him in a slightly irritated tone, not looking at him.

Jay nodded absentmindedly, taking in her words. "We both know that's not true, you've been acting weird all day," he said openly.  
It was true. He'd noticed how on edge Hailey seemed to be, her usually relaxed aura wasn't with her that day and he couldn't grasp his mind around the reason behind her elusive demeanor. 

At first, he'd thought it was just because of the tough case they were working on. The three bodies they had found were in a horrible state and according to the medical examiner, most of the injuries were inflicted ante-mortem, meaning that the abuser had brutalized the victims while they still were alive.

Hailey was ready to respond, but then she felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket twice. A message.   
She took the device and groaned when she read the name of the sender. Without replying to the text, she put her phone back where it was.

Jay studied her reaction and didn't realize his legs were moving towards where she was. He leaned right beside her and touched her hand with his finger, brushing it against her soft skin. 

He would've properly taken her hand in his, but he didn't want to risk one of the guys walking in on them and do the math about the status of their relationship – they'd been together for three months now and weren't ready, yet, to tell their people about it. Not even Will knew about them.

"Talk to me," Jay muttered, his voice calm. The last thing Hailey needed was to hear him talk in a demanding tone.

"My mom's been calling and texting me the whole day, saying she wants me to have dinner with them tomorrow," she explained the situation, closing her eyes, feeling a migraine creeping its way to her temples. 

"What do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know." Hailey sighed, then placed the mug on the table and lifted her hands to loosen the rubber band of her ponytail, feeling it a little too tight.

"Hailey… it's Christmas Eve and it's just dinner. I guess she just wanna spend time with you..." Jay said honestly. He knew she and her parents had their problems and things to figure out, but at the same time he didn't think a dinner of, what?, two hours would do any harm.

The blonde detective vehemently shook her head, moving her body so they were now one in front of the other: "Jay, you don't understand ‒ she huffed in frustration ‒ Christmas in our house wasn't smiley faces in the kitchen, decorating cookies and whatnot… it-" Kim interrupted Hailey's rambling by abruptly entering the room, her notepad and a pen in her hand.

"I'm sorry guys, but we got a new lead. Seems legit," she apologized, suppressing her comment about Hailey and Jay being that close in front of each other. Now was not the moment ‒ her attentive eye had caught on to the tense atmosphere in the room.

Hailey and Jay nodded in her direction and then they were immediately left alone. The blonde cleared her throat and then looked at Jay, the features of her face now softer, her eyes were telling him how sorry she was for the words she'd said a minute earlier. "Can we… can we talk later? My place?" she forced a smile.

Jay nodded at her. "Yeah," she reached for her shoulder, quietly telling him that everything was okay by squeezing it a bit, "C'mon, let's go," he matched her smile.

They exited the break room and caught on with the rest of the team, listening to Kevin explaining what they had found. Once they were done, Jay called Voight, filling him up with the new information they had gotten.

The case was starting to unfold, but still, the Intelligence unit didn't manage to lock Jeremy Baker yet. They were getting there, though.

They were just trying to grasp every single piece of evidence to bring him to court with, so he wouldn't get the chance to escape from the terrible things he did (and was still doing) for the second time.

Dinner ‒ pizza ‒ was generously offered by Platt and by the time Hank decided it was time for the unit to get home, it was almost 11.30 PM.  
They all were visibly tired, Adam didn't even have the strength to come up with one of his silly jokes. 

Hailey and Jay were the last ones ‒ apart from Hank, who was still in his office ‒ to exit the bullpen. They quickly made it to the locker room, gathered their stuff, and in no time they were walking to their cars. They could've chosen just one car to drive into, but they didn't want to raise any suspicions (especially with Voight still being upstairs).

The drive to Hailey's didn't take long, the road was luckily almost empty at that time of the day.  
Once they arrived at their destination, Hailey and Jay parked in front of the blonde's house.

They entered the place in silence, just exchanging some glances, and "I'm gonna take a shower, you're gonna be good?" Hailey showed Jay a tired smile, placing her hand on his best, and putting a gentle pat on it.

"Yeah. But don't hesitate to call my name if you need me to join you," he smirked, sitting on the stool by her kitchen counter, "Just say the word."

"Yeah, sure ‒ she replied dismissively with a grin on her face, ignoring his antics ‒ get the beers, Jay,' she told him before walking towards the bathroom, his eyes never leaving her.

Jay did as he was told, going to the fridge and finding exactly two beer bottles as if they were waiting for him.   
He placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch and walked around Hailey's living room, a place he was more than familiar with by now.   
He went to the bookshelf and found about a dozen of books, reading a recurring name on them: Virginia Woolf.  
Jay knew Hailey enjoyed reading, but he was just now discovering her passion for that one particular English writer. 

He then slightly bent over and looked at the photos onto the decorative wooden table placed against the wall: there was one with Vanessa, one of the whole Intelligence unit (Antonio was in it too), and one with just Hailey and Jay. He remembered Kim had taken that picture: it was springtime and they were at Kevin’s for a barbeque, and Kim had spent the whole day testing the camera quality of her new phone by snapping pictures every chance she got.It wasn’t the first time that Jay had seen those pictures, but he’d just noticed how Hailey didn’t have any pictures with her parents nor her brothers. It was odd, yes, but totally made sense.

"Nice view," Hailey commented as she was entering the living room, referring to Jay’s position that allowed her to admire his butt. 

“If you know you know,” Jay turned around and chuckled, taking in her appearance and wondering how she managed to look absolutely stunning even in those old baggy clothes she was wearing, and with her damp, frizzy blond hair in a messy bun.

The way he was looking at her caught Hailey off guard, she could feel the heat rushing to her now red cheeks. She walked towards him and tipped on her toes, reaching for him and quickly kissing his lips, not giving Jay the time to process it because she quickly pulled back and took his hand in hers, guiding him to the couch.  
They sat down and took their beers, Hailey immediately snuggled up against Jay’s chest, happy to find her favorite place ready for her.  
They were in an enjoyable silence: Jay was absentmindedly tracing shapeless patterns with his fingers on the side of her neck, his eyes never leaving the features of her face.

He watched her take a sip of her beer and then exhale a sigh: “I’m not exactly a fan of Christmas, I think it’s kinda clear,” Hailey started, turning her head towards her boyfriend, forcing a smile.

Jay nodded her way, willing to listen to whatever she was going to say to him.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, buying some time to try and make sense out of what she was ready to tell him. “Whenever I think about this holiday, all I can hear is my mom screaming because my dad is beating the hell out of her,” she muttered, taking another sip from her bottle.

Hailey licked her bottom lip, her eyes were fixated on the ground as if she was reliving the moment in her head. “It was Christmas Eve and I was five, just starting first grade. I remember it because I managed to write my letter to Santa on my own and I was so proud of myself,” she chuckled at the memory. “My mom wasn’t feeling good, while my dad spent the whole day out getting drunk with his friend. They came home around dinner time, drunk as hell. I was in their bedroom with my mom, trying to keep her company. My dad enters the room and asks her to go to the kitchen and warm up the dinner for them. My mom tells him she doesn’t feel okay and that he can do it himself, that everything’s ready, he just needs to warm it up,” Hailey stopped, Jay could see her clenching her jaw. He squeezed her arm, “You don’t have t-” he started with a soft voice, but the blonde quickly interrupted him, vehemently shaking her head.

“I’m fine,” she assured. “So. My dad gets pissed, of course - she chuckled bitterly - and tells me to get out of the room. Once I’m out of there, he closes the door behind him, and next thing I know… he’s beating her,” she concluded, sniffling and quickly wiping the corners of her eyes that were now filled with hot tears. 

“I was so shocked I didn’t realize what was going on. All I remember is her screaming and the blood on the stairs and the fact that I spent Christmas day with her at the hospital. He had busted her bottom lip and her left hand was broken,” she added then, her voice hoarse due to the lump in her throat.

Jay intensely looked at her, not knowing what to say. It was all so messed up that he felt like whatever he wanted to say wasn't enough. He managed to bring his thumb to wipe a tear that escaped from her eye. Jay tightened the wrap around her body, pulling her closer to him. “I know sorry isn’t enough, but I _am_ so sorry you had to go through this,” he mumbled against her skin, gently kissing her temple.

Hailey felt relieved she finally told the story out loud, it was something she’d been keeping to herself for all of her life. It felt good to finally get rid of such a heavyweight, it was almost like she could feel her chest _physically_ get lighter.

She shrugged, wiping her tears with the hem of the blue sweatshirt she was wearing. “That’s why I don’t wanna go to dinner with them. They put me through too much shit, and now they wanna pretend like we’re some sort of happy family. And I feel conflicted. I mean, I know my mum just wants to see me, but... it’s not fair,” she pouted, taking Jay’s hand in hers and playing with his long fingers, finding it comforting. 

“I don’t know what to do,” Hailey voiced her main concern. She didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings, especially since it was Christmas, but she also didn’t know if she was able to go to her parents’ house and play pretend. 

Jay started massaging her palm. “Hails, look at me ‒ and she did ‒ You only have to do what makes _you_ feel comfortable. You can’t please everybody if it means you’re getting hurt in the process… you gotta be selfish sometimes,” he meant what he said and he was sure Hailey would’ve told him the same thing if the roles were reversed. 

Hailey took in his words, carefully listening to them.  
She nodded at him, still needing some time to process what he said, even though she knew it made sense. “I know,” she agreed with him.

“Also, it’s okay if you don’t wanna do anything tomorrow, I understand-,” Jay started rambling, but Hailey was quick to stop him.

“No, I want to wait for midnight with you,” Hailey caressed his cheek, flashing a tired smile. “Plus, you promised me hot chocolate,” she giggled. 

“Oh, I see. You just want the hot chocolate, gotcha,” was Jay's reply, to which Hailey nodded, smiling sheepishly.

And then they stayed silent for a while. It was comfortable, and calming, and allowed them to enjoy each other's company without feeling the need to talk.

When they finished their beers, "You good?" Jay checked in, gently squeezing Hailey's shoulder. 

The blonde nodded, "Just tired," she said tight before covering her mouth. The big yawn she made was a confirmation. 

"Wanna go to bed?" Hailey shook her head no, "The couch is fine," she said, her voice was a bit slurry.

Jay then stretched his legs so he was now laying on the couch and pulled her body towards his, making her lay onto him, her head on his chest.

Her blond hair was trying to escape from the rubberband she had and Jay decided to ease the situation, undoing her bun, seeing her blond waves sprawled against him. "Mh, better now, thank you," she softly kissed his chest, with her eyes closed already and a relieved smile, her arms wrapped around his torso.

Hailey's eyes were slightly puffy from crying, her cheeks red, but she looked adorable nonetheless. She looked so pretty that Jay couldn't help but smile as he was looking at her. Looking _after_ her.

And maybe it was the steady rhythm at which Jay's heart was beating, or maybe the movement of his chest as he was breathing, maybe a combination of both, but Hailey was out like a light in no time. Jay had probably never seen her fall asleep that quickly.

He kept on staring at her, admiring every single detail of her face, trying to memorize as much as possible of it. Jay went on for who knows how long, before his tiredness got the best of him, making him close his heavy eyes and fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's chapter 2.
> 
> As you could see, it was pretty intense. It's a very personal chapter for me because everything I wrote about Hailey happened to me (I'm sorry but there's not a softer way to say it lol). Just like Hailey did, I witnessed some stuff a child should never see and it's probably the reason why I relate so much to her (and get super angry when I see bad comments about her lol). Hailey is a fictional character and doesn't exist irl but she still means a lot to me. She somehow is someone I look up to.
> 
> Now that we're done with the sad stuff (LOL), what do you think of the chapter? I honestly enjoyed writing it, even though I had to stop from time to time because it was being a little too much, it felt good, it was cathartic... I needed it.
> 
> The title and song lyric at the beginning are from Behind the wall by Tracy Chapman. It's a song about domestic violence and maybe you should listen to it, even just out of curiosity ahah
> 
> I really hope you like it, I'm ready to read what are your thoughts on this one! You're all super kind to me in your reviews, I don't even deserve that much appreciation🙈
> 
> I'll see you you tomorrow with chapter 3. Little spoiler: a certain red-haired doctor will (lmfao) be there!  
> Bye, I love you all so much! ❤❤❤


	3. feeling good

_**it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me… and I'm feeling good** _

**THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24  
** **W** hen Kim got out of the interrogation room, she had the biggest smile on her lips. It was her first genuine smile in days.

The case they were working on had taken a toll on all the members of the Intelligence unit, especially on her (it reminded her of when her sister got abducted), and she was glad it was now over.

All her colleagues had taken rounds trying to convince their suspect to talk, but none of them came out with satisfying results. Well, until it was Kim's turn.  
She still didn't know how exactly, but she had finally gotten a confession out of Jeremy Baker. Voight believed it was due to her physical resemblance to the victims, which she used in her favor, as it apparently represented a weakness for the suspect.

She had been trying to get a confession from him the whole morning, making sure she wasn't leading the narrative ‒ she had no intention of compromising the case ‒, and when Jeremy started explaining every single detail of how he tortured his victims before getting rid of them, Kim knew the code was cracked. It was quite disturbing to hear him say certain things in a light and not at all bothered manner, but it was all they needed to prove he was guilty.

Hank walked to the brunette, the expression on his face was more relaxed and calm, if Kim looked carefully she probably would've seen a smile somewhere: "Good job, Burgess," he told her in a gruff tone, nodding her way in acknowledgment.

Kim smiled proudly at herself and then walked towards the bullpen, finding that the rest of the unit was already waiting for her. They were all looking at her with anticipation and when she showed them her brightest smile, "We got him, it's over," she announced.

They all let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling a weight off their shoulders after days of anguish.

"This is the best Christmas gift," Adam allowed himself to say.

"Well said, bro," chimed in Kevin, stretching his arms.

It was around 5 PM and they could finally say that the Jeremy Baker case had been finally wrapped. Their workday still wasn't over, though. A stack of paperwork was waiting for them to be filled. It was a boring activity per se, even more, when all they could think about was how they would've preferred being at home, enjoying some deserved rest.

Kevin and his brother Jordan were supposed to pack some clothes and take a flight to Austin, Texas. The plan was to go and surprise their little sister Vinessa.

Adam and Kim planned on spending the rest of the day together. The status of their relationship was still uncertain to their friends (maybe to them too), but as long as they were cool with it, everyone else was too.

As for Hailey and Jay, well… The blonde had made up her mind: she _was_ going to have dinner with her parents. The general idea was to ignore her father for as much as possible. It was doable.

Jay intended to meet with Will, have dinner together, and then get rid of him as soon as Hailey would text him that she was coming over.

When Hank entered the bullpen and found his officers and detectives all sat down at their desks ready (as if they had any other choice) to do their paperwork, "It's dark outside, time to go home," he told them. It was his own version of _You did good today, go enjoy the rest of the day_.

They all looked at him as if he had just said that the Earth is flat. "What? I'm not the Grinch ‒ they could've sworn he chuckled at his own words ‒ I'll see you in three days," he concluded, not waiting for an answer and walking straight to his office, closing the door behind him.

"He's definitely on crack," Adam whispered, still incredulous.

Hailey scoffed, "Takes one to know one," she replied, earning a loud snicker from Kevin, who high-fived her from afar.

Jay looked at her and raised a brow, smirking, proud of her smart response.

Adam pouted, more because he didn't have an effective comeback, so he just mocked her voice. Kim rolled her eyes at his childishness and, "She wrecked you, now let's go," she motioned for him to get up and get ready.

They exchanged greetings and hugs with their friends and quickly were ready to get out of there. Kevin too collected his stuff and exited the place in no time.

Once again, Hailey and Jay were the last ones to leave the place. They skipped their usual stop to the locker room, since neither of them had any stuff left in there, and rapidly walked to the parking lot.  
Before entering their cars they exchanged a look: Jay was silently telling her he was looking forward to seeing her later that night, to which Hailey responded with a nod and a timid smile.

It was their typical way of talking without speaking.

Jay winked at the blonde and waited for her to hop on her car first, doing the same after making sure she was in.

* * *

William Halstead happily sighed as he took the last bite of the deep-fried turkey he himself had been cooking, with mashed potatoes on the side. He'd learned that recipe in New York, during his residency years. At the time, he was dating a sous-chef who taught him how to cook a few dishes.

After he swallowed the food, "I'm not tryna brag, but that was awesome," he commented, flashing his characteristic smirk.

Jay, who was sitting in front of him, shook his head at his brother but didn't say anything. Will was right but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction and admit it.

The red-haired drank his sparkling water ( _of course_ he drank sparkling water), a fair alternative to alcohol since he was on call, and then wiped his mouth. He looked at Jay and saw he was checking his phone, he said something to get his attention but didn't get any response.

"Hello..?" Will waved his hand in front of his brother, who finally trained his eyes on him.

"What?"

"Who are you texting?" he asked with a smug smile, ready to tease Jay.

"What were you saying?" the fact that Jay replied with a question of his own was a sign that he didn't want to tell him what was really going on… which only gave Will the green light to annoy him some more. Plus, Jay was very prickly, it was easy (and fun) to get on his nerves.

Will knew his brother was a reserved person. Not really secretive, he just wanted to keep his things private before _he_ could decide whether to tell people about them or not.  
But Will _had_ to pry into Jay's business. It was by default one of the prerogatives of being the older brother.

He extended his arm to try and grab his brother's phone, but Jay anticipated what he was thinking of doing (his reflexes were on point, perks of being a cop) and locked it before Will could get it. "Now what?" Jay sent him a challenging look, provocatively raising his eyebrows.

Will rolled his eyes, "You're no fun," he mumbled, stretching on the chair. Nevermind ‒ he chugged down some water ‒ what are your plans for tonight?"

"Hailey's coming over," Jay said, trying to make it sound as casual as possible.

"Oh, Hailey..." he nodded. Then thought about it again and, " _Oh, Hailey!_ " he repeated in a more dramatic tone. Jay's cheeks betrayed him. They immediately got red at the mention of the blonde and it was all it took for Will to understand what was _really_ going on.

Will smiled widely at his brother, kicking his leg under the table. "You jackass, why didn't you tell me?!" he frowned slightly, though the smile was still on his face. He was truly happy for Jay and knew he was too ‒ the color of his now red face made it pretty obvious.  
And he liked Hailey. He didn't know her that well, but he knew she genuinely cared for his brother. He'd seen the change, the progress that Jay had made since Hailey entered his life. She was good for him.

Jay shrugged at his brother's question, not knowing what to say. There wasn't a specific reason as to why he didn't tell him, he just… didn't.

"Well, hey, I'm happy for you," Will clarified, nodding solemnly to support his words. "How long?" he asked out of curiosity.

"About three months..? Yeah, something like that," Jay said, resting his back against the chair. Now that the cat was out of the bag he could relax a bit.

"Only three months?" Will wasn't believing it.

"What do you mean _only_?" Jay immediately got defensive.

"Dude… ‒ he raised his eyebrows, it was all so obvious that he didn't think he needed to elaborate ‒ you two like to stare at each other for a really uncomfortable amount of time, I think everyone thought you were kicking it," Will explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bet going on at the 21st," he added then.

Jay snorted and quickly shook his head, "Oh. No, we weren't. And it's not _just that_ , you know?" he started playing with a napkin.

"Aw, my little brother is in love! Come here, let me give you a big hug," Will teased him, reaching for his arm and patting it annoyingly.

Jay rolled his eyes, "Get off," he slapped his hand, making him stop. " _That's_ why I never tell you shit."

"Seriously, though, I'm happy for you."

Jay showed him a tight-lipped smile, before taking a sip from his glass of red wine. "Thanks," he mumbled, _still_ blushing.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes, Will was shamelessly staring at his brother just for the sake of annoying him, knowing it made him uncomfortable. Jay rolled his eyes at him for the umpteenth time that day, "Don't you have, like, somewhere to be?"

Will came back to Earth and checked his phone, "Actually… yes," his shift started in half an hour. He got up and was ready to put their dirty dishes in the sink, but Jay stopped him.  
"You cooked," he told him, getting up as well and starting to do what Will intended to.

The red-haired chugged down the rest of the water in his glass and went to the living room, taking the box containing Jay's Christmas gift off the coffee table. He giggled as he gave his brother the box, vividly imagining his reaction when he would open it.

"You know it's not April's fool, right?" Jay asked rhetorically.

Will collected his jacket on the couch and put it on, "Have a little faith in me!"

Jay dramatically scoffed, "Huh, yeah. Never gonna happen."

"Tell Hailey I said hi," Will told him as they shared a hug and, "Bye, I love you," he patted Jay's shoulder.

"Love you too, take care." Jay retorted back, opening the main door for him and messing with his hair, knowing how much Will hated it. But before he could say or do anything, Jay closed the door in his face, his lips curled in an evil grin.  
He sighed heavily: Jay loved his brother, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was a lot to deal with.

* * *

When Hailey parked her car in front of the house she grew up in, the first person she saw was her father.

She started rethinking being there and could feel her heart beating fast in her chest. It wasn't like when she'd heard her name being pronounced during graduation day at the academy or when she and Jay made love the first time. It was more out of fear and she hated the feeling.

The blonde exited her vehicle, a bottle of wine in her hand, and walked towards the porch, stopping once she was in front of her father.

Leonidas Upton was sitting on a chair, a cigarette between his lips. Hailey wasn't surprised to see he hadn't stopped smoking, he'd never been good at getting rid of his bad habits.

"Oh, it's you, matia mou," he got up and the smile with which he greeted her made Hailey slightly uncomfortable. And the nickname: it was Greek for ' _my eyes_ ', he used to call her that because they had the same eye color. It was a long time since she last heard him call her that.

"I saw some blonde hair but I thought I was hallucinating," he said, hugging her.

Hailey's body stiffed at the gesture, not hugging him back. It wasn't something they did, the last time they hugged was probably when she was seven years old.

"Eh. You never wear your glasses," Hailey said, pulling back so there was a bit of a distance between them. She couldn't help it. She didn't feel at ease whenever she was around him.

"I'll go inside to mom while you finish, okay?" she told him, not waiting for his response. Hailey opened the main door and entered the house, quickly looking around and noticing not much had changed since her last visit.

She walked to the kitchen, finding her mom bent down to check on the turkey in the oven. She put the bottle of wine on the counter and inhaled sharply, taking a deep breath.  
The room was filled with aromas that brought Hailey a sense of familiarity, she grew up smelling them.

"Hey mom," Hailey greeted her in a soft tone, not wanting to scare her mother, knowing she could be jumpy at times.

Dorothea stood up quickly as she heard her only daughter's voice. "Louloudi mou," she reached for Hailey, cupping her face and widely smiling at her. "Oh, I missed you so much, you look so beautiful," she checked on her appearance, slightly pulling back and taking her hands in hers, "A little too skinny for my liking, but still beautiful."  
Hailey kind of reminded her of a younger version of herself, even though she took her blue eyes from her father.

Hailey chuckled at the last comment, "I missed you too, mom," she confessed truthfully. Despite their differences, she cared for her mother. She didn't understand some of her life choices, but couldn't really resent her, even if she tried. And she had.

They took a seat and "How are you, mum? Is everything good?" Hailey asked. They both knew what those two questions meant, there was no need to say it out loud and perhaps ruin the mood of the day, but still, Hailey wanted to know.

Dorothea forced a smile – Hailey knew – and didn't dare to look at her daughter's eyes. "It's all good, louloudi mou."

Hailey sighed, biting her bottom lip, but decided not to insist on her million questions.

Leonidas joined them in the kitchen, his face serious, and took the bottle of wine that Hailey had brought. He skillfully opened it in no time, taking a glass and filling it with the red beverage.

"Maybe you should wait until we start dinner," Dorothea suggested calmly, even though she wasn't surprised by his behavior.

"Maybe you should talk when asked," Leonidas retorted back, looking at her with challenging eyes.  
Hailey recognized that look and even after all these years she continued asking herself why he always looked at his wife like he hated her.

Dorothea and Hailey shared a sad look, no one deserved to be talked to that way.

"It's okay," she took her mother's hand in hers, caressing the back of it. Hailey knew the best way to deal with this was to ignore her father.

He was looking for somebody to yell at… they weren't going to play his game.

Leonidas huffed and exited the kitchen, leaving the two women alone.

Hailey stared at her mother, silently asking her why she was still there putting up with her husband's abuse.

"Your father didn't get much sleep, he's a bit grumpy today," Dorothea chuckled, trying to come up with some silly excuses.

And Hailey wasn't surprised by her answer. It was the same old scenario and she was honestly out of ideas to make her mother open her eyes and realize her marriage was poisoned. That the only thing she was getting out of it was pain, not love.

"What about you? How's work?"

"Work's fine, we've just wrapped a tough case," Hailey replied briefly, not wanting to go into too much detail.

"But what about _you_ , Hailey?" Dorothea insisted, and Hailey knew exactly what she was implying. She also knew her mom wasn't going to let it go until she got an answer out of her. "Is there someone in your life? Someone _special_?" she asked again, a smirk on her lips.

Hailey blushed at her mother's words. Dorothea's smile widened seeing that her daughter's cheeks had gotten red. "There is," Hailey nodded, biting her lips in embarrassment.

"Does he treat you well? Make you happy?" her mom checked, slightly narrowing her green eyes.

The blonde detective nodded again, "Very," she simply said, grinning at the thought of Jay.

They chatted some more, while Hailey helped her mother set the table. Shortly after, dinner was ready.

Hailey went to the living room to tell her father that it was time to eat. Leonidas took his sweet time to join them in the kitchen, but they eventually started eating.

The two women were having a conversation about one of Dorothea's dear friends. Leonidas was silent for the majority of the time, chiming in into the chat now and then. His remarks were mostly unpleasant, but Hailey and Dorothea ignored them, letting him say whatever he wanted but not really listening to his input.

At some point, "Thea, there's no bread left. Go get some," Leonidas instructed in a harsh tone.

Hailey was not surprised by the way he was talking to her, but that didn't mean she was less annoyed by it. It took all of her willpower to not scold him.  
"I got it," she announced, getting up to get what her father wanted.

By the time they were finished with the second course, Leonidas was already back in the living room. He was drunkenly listening to the news on the TV, sitting on the sofa in an unnatural position. Hailey knew he was probably going to pass out soon.

When Hailey got up from the table, "No dessert?" Dorothea asked her, getting the dishes in the sink.

The blonde shook her head no. "I have somewhere to be," she said, helping her mother out, her lips curled in a sheepish grin.

"Oh, you're going to your boyfriend?" her mom smiled, a knowing look on her face.

"Yeah," Hailey sighed, matching her smile.

Dorothea took a tray from the cabinet. "Okay. Well, you can't go there empty-handed, can you?" she asked rhetorically, already filling the tray with the loukoumàdes she'd previously baked, covering it with some paper foil so they wouldn't fall. "Bring him this," she told Hailey.

Hailey put her jacket on and gladly accepted what she was offered – she could never say no to her mom's loukoumàdes – and they walked to the door together. She peeked in the living room to see if her father was awake (just to tell him bye out of politeness), but she found him with his eyes closed. Again, no surprise.

Once they were at the front door, "Mom, you don't have to get out," she assured.

Dorothea nodded at her daughter. "Alright. Tell your friend- _boyfriend_ I say hi," she muttered. "Also, when am I going to meet him?"

Hailey slightly chuckled at her question. "We'll figure something out," she replied, going in for a hug. "Bye mom – she sweetly kissed her cheek – I love you. Be careful," she said in a serious tone, the both of them knowing the weight those two words carried.

The older woman sighed at her daughter's apprehension. "I love you too. And don't worry about me," she retorted, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

They both knew that was not going to happen, that Hailey would always worry about her mother, even if she didn't voice it out loud.

They smiled at each other one last time and then Hailey walked out, quickly going towards her car and hopping in it, a both relieved and excited expression on her face. She couldn't wait to see Jay and spend the rest of the night with him.

* * *

Jay was standing in front of the stove, waiting for some chocolate chips to melt, when he heard the ring of his doorbell. He excitedly walked to the door, already knowing who was behind it.

He quickly opened it and smiled widely as he saw Hailey standing there, glad to find her with a similar happy expression on her face.

"You're finally here," he bent down to reach her height, kissing her on the lips and then closing the door behind her as she entered in. Hailey smiled at his words, happy to hear he was waiting for her, that he was still looking forward to seeing her.

Hailey quickly got rid of her jacket, and her night bag, placing it on the back of the chair as they were going towards the kitchen. She put the tray her mother gave her on the kitchen counter, and then sat on a stool. A satisfied moan escaped her lips as she inhaled the strong smell of chocolate, "Smells good," she commented.

"Tastes even better, I swear," Jay went back next to the stove, lowering the flame under the medium-sized pot, and then turned around, giving Hailey all his attention.

"So. – he sighed – How did it go?" Jay addressed the elephant in the room, sitting on the stool next to Hailey, and reaching for her hand, their fingers lightly brushing.

The blonde released an amused chuckle, shaking her head. "Not as bad as I expected," she said in a calm yet surprised tone. "He was being an ass, but that's nothing new. We ignored him for most of the time," she added, referring to her father.

"At least I got some homemade loukoumàdes out of it – she grinned – my mom insisted on bringing you some," Hailey explained, briefly eyeing the tray on the counter.

Jay didn't bother to look at it, he was focused on what she had just said. "Wait… you told her about me?" he asked, raising his brows, his cheeks flushed.

Hailey nodded with a grin, "Kinda. She figured it out by herself. She asked if there was _someone special_ in my life," she blushed heavily, feeling the heat reaching her face.

Jay showed her a smug smile, "Someone special, huh?" he snickered, getting up. He placed a kiss on her forehead, "I like it," and then went to check on the hot chocolate.

"For the record – he briefly turned around –, Will knows too," he told her.

"Oh, my favorite Halstead. How is he?" she teased, taking in Jay's appearance. He was wearing some jeans and a red flannel shirt. It was simple, but he looked good. He always did.

Jay turned off the stove, turning around and leaning on the counter, his arms crossed on his chest. "First of all, that was rude. And… he's okay, annoying as hell, but okay," he replied, rolling his eyes at the thought of his brother. "Said he's happy for us," he blushed, locking his eyes with hers.

He saw her smiling widely at the news, "Told ya we're good together." she whispered, recalling a conversation they had at the hospital, a few weeks after he got shot.

Not that Hailey expected otherwise, but Will was the only family Jay had left, it was important for her to know that he supported their relationship.

"Stop," she muttered, biting her bottom lip. The way Jay was looking at her was making her blush so intensely that she thought her cheeks couldn't get redder.

"Not my fault you're beautiful," Jay shrugged, leaning towards her to caress her chin.

Hailey snorted at his cheesy comeback, even though she was smiling.

"You should go choose the movie, I'll be quick here," he suggested, taking two mugs from the cabinet. "Plus, you can't know my secret ingredient," he winked at her with a smirk.

The blonde raised her eyebrows, "That sounds kinda scary," she teased, getting up.

"You won't be disappointed, trust me." And she did, Hailey trusted him.

She went to the living room and slightly gasped at the scene in front of her eyes. She did _not_ expect this.

Her heart started racing at the thought of Jay setting up the place, making it cozy yet still romantic. How sweet.  
The room was mostly dark, the only source of light coming from the lit fireplace. He'd placed two pillows onto the carpet, along with a white blanket.  
The TV was on, but its brightness was set at the lowest level, so it wouldn't be too much in contrast with the warm atmosphere.  
Jay had thought even the littlest detail and Hailey kind of wanted to cry because nobody had ever done something like that for her.

She didn't know for how long she stood there in the middle of the room, but it was definitely enough for Jay to walk in with the two mugs in his hands.  
When Hailey noticed his presence, she didn't even wait for him to put the mugs on the coffee table: she reached for him and wrapped her arms around his torso, taking him by surprise.

Jay chuckled softly. "Hey," he tilted his head to check on her, "Everything okay?"

Hailey nodded, her head against his chest. "More than okay," she said, still not believing she had such a wonderful person as her boyfriend.

"Good," he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.

When they pulled away, they went sitting on the carpet, in front of the fireplace. Jay placed the mugs on the coffee table, his hands now free to pull Hailey's body closer to his as she was in between his opened legs, her back against his chest.

"What are we watching?" Jay asked as he opened the Netflix app on his TV.

"Edward Scissorhands," Hailey replied without hesitation, adjusting the pillow behind her back.

Jay immediately looked at her, slightly weirded out. His expression made Hailey chuckle.

"What? It kinda is a Christmas movie," she argued, absolutely sure of her words.

"If you say so…" he searched for the movie. He passed Hailey her mug and adjusted the soft blanket on them, before clicking on the movie poster, starting it.

Jay looked at Hailey as she took the first spoonful of the hot beverage. He saw her eyes lit up and, "Peanut butter!" she happily whispered-yelled, glancing at him.

He nodded her way, his lips curled in a proud smirk, "Exactly," he kissed the top of her head, before taking his mug and focusing on the movie, not knowing that Hailey had her eyes glued on his face (she'd already watched the movie countless times), enlightened by the fire burning in the fireplace.

They watched the movie in silence, only commenting a few scenes every now and then, their mugs were now empty. Jay had cockily promised her the best hot chocolate of her life and, well, he'd maintained his promise. It truly tasted amazing.

When the movie was over, Hailey stretched her arms, her body still engulfed in Jay's wrap. She quickly checked the clock, noticing it was already past midnight – so technically, it _was_ Christmas day.  
She turned around to him, already finding him staring at her with soft eyes and making her heart race. Hailey was never going to be used to the way he looked at her, as if she was the most precious thing – well, _person_ – in his life.

She moved her head closer to his, catching his green eyes going back and forth from her eyes to her lips. Hailey sweetly brushed her nose against his, "Thank you. For all of this," she whispered, her lips slightly touching his.

Jay blinked, "Of course," he managed to say, although the closeness of her face was distracting him. "Thank you for being here," he cupped her head with his right hand, his fingers softly touching her blond, wavy hair, "Merry Christmas."

Their lips met in a sweet, slow kiss, and it felt like it did the very first time.  
Hailey felt a rush of feelings go down her spine as Jay deepened the kiss, biting on her bottom lip, making her gasp a little. He took the chance to brush his tongue against the affected part, allowing himself to go further and expertly exploring her mouth, never getting tired of how she tasted.

Hailey's hands were on his shoulders, using them as a grip as she was straddling his lap, enjoying the feeling of his strong muscles against her palms, even though he was still wearing his shirt.

They briefly pulled apart, heavily breathing against each other's faces and sharing a meaningful look, and then their lips connected again.  
A quiet moan escaped Hailey's mouth as Jay put his hand under Hailey's shirt, touching her bare skin with his warm hand. She didn't know how much she'd been missing the feeling until that very moment.

Jay moved her hair, allowing his lips to reach her jawline and then her neck, knowing that was Hailey's weak spot. She groaned in pleasure, closing her eyes as she felt his teeth bit onto her skin, mending it right after with a brush of his tongue.

As Hailey was undoing the buttons of the flannel shirt Jay was wearing, his hands were wandering up and down her spine, and when they reached the back of her bra, they expertly unclasped it, immediately going to the front of Hailey's body.

She felt her heart skipping a bit when she felt Jay's thumb swiftly brushing against her breasts, her breath hitched. "Jay…" that was only supposed to be a whisper, but it _definitely_ sounded like a moan.

"Hmmm?" he mumbled, his lips now on her collarbones.

Hailey slightly pulled back, cupping his face in her hands. "I think we should take it to your room," she muttered, staring at his now much darker eyes. She _knew_ that look.

Jay nodded absentmindedly, smoothly catching her lips in his again. (Did he even listen to her?)

He patted her thighs and it was Hailey's cue to wrap them around his torso. Jay got up on his feet, Hailey in his arms with his hands on her butt, as her legs clasped around his body.

He didn't even bother to turn the TV off, too focused on Hailey's kisses right below his ear. _His_ weak spot.  
And it was like his legs had gained a brain of their own because they decided to walk them to his room, in which they arrived in no time.

Jay closed the door behind them, ready to give them both their first Christmas gift of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a long ass chapter, wasn't it? LOL  
> What can I say... I didn't really wanna stop? It took me more time than usual, but it was super fun to write and yeah, I really really hope you like it!
> 
> We don't know the name of Hailey's parents, so I searched for Greek names on google and I thought Leonidas and Dorothea were super cool names. Idk, they sounded nice. I kinda did the same thing for the part in which they use endearment nicknames for Hailey (so blame google if they're wrong ahaha)
> 
> Yes, they did the nasty-nasty in the last part, but I decided to stop where I stopped bc A) the chapter was gonna be way too long and B) reading smut is fun, writing smut is weird af, idk... I don't know if I'm good at it ahahaha
> 
> Title and song lyrics at the beginning are from Feeling good by Nina Simone... amazing song! If you don't know it, GO AND LISTEN TO IT IMMEDIATELY!
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter. What was your favorite part and why?  
> I really wanna say thank you to all of you who spend even just a minute of their time to write a review, they're really really appreciated, I'm super thankful!
> 
> I think it's all... Let me know your thoughts on this third chapter and yeah..? I'll see you tomorrow with the fourth and final chapter.  
> Love you all, Enrica xx
> 
> (Twitter and Tumblr: 5021ZAIN)


	4. everyday is Christmas

**_everyday is Christmas when you’re by my side_ **

**FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25  
** **H** ailey strangely woke up early that day. She wasn’t an early bird like Jay. She notoriously was a heavy sleeper and shamelessly loved being in bed, with her body covered by heavy blankets, and doing absolutely nothing. That morning, though, it was like her body had allowed her to only get a certain amount of sleep.

It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. It wasn’t dark outside, but the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Hailey tried to get up to a sitting position but figured she was trapped in Jay’s strong grip, his arm stretched and around her body. She turned to him and a tired smile appeared on her face as she recalled what happened last night, leading them to be in that exact position, and touched her messy hair as if she could still feel Jay’s fingers tangled in it.   
  
The faint source of light coming from the street lamps and through the curtains was enough for Hailey to be able to see every particular of his face, quietly chuckling as she saw his mouth in a pout and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.  
But, still, Jay looked breathtaking.

Her eyes traveled to focus on every detail of his face. Hailey loved how it was covered in freckles, even his lips.  
From that particular angle, Hailey could see that his eyelashes were softly touching Jay’s cheekbones and Hailey couldn’t wait for him to wake up so she would get to look at the green eyes that hid behind them.   
The eyes of a good man.

Jay undoubtedly was a physically attractive guy, but he was also a brave, loyal, good man and she still couldn’t believe she was the one who got the privilege to call him  _ hers _ .

Because that was the truth of the matter: Hailey and Jay belonged to each other, they always had. It took them some time to realize it, to have the courage to act on those feelings they clearly had for one another, but it eventually happened. And the shift from being just best friends and work partners to boyfriend and girlfriend developed in such a natural way that got even the both of them surprised. It was the best surprise, though.

Hailey took her sweet time admiring every feature of her boyfriend’s face until she felt his arm around her body move slowly. She saw his eyes twitch before opening entirely, rapidly blinking to adjust to the lack of light in the room. 

Jay smiled as he noticed Hailey was staring at him. He reached for her nose and lightly pinched it, making her scrunch up her face.    
Hailey’s face was a bit puffy due to sleep, but she looked gorgeous nonetheless. 

“Morning,” she softly said, placing a hand on his chest.    
  
“Hey, good morning,” he whispered at her in a sleepy tone, before clearing his throat, “Merry Christmas,” he smiled at her.  
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, softly kissing her palm.

Jay reached for her hair, pulling her head closer to his. Hailey followed his silent instructions, placing her head on his left shoulder, earning a kiss on the forehead.   
“Merry Christmas,” she said back, caressing Jay on his chest. Hailey released a little, silent gasp when she felt Jay’s finger brush on her breasts, as he was moving her body so it was easier for him to look at her face, the end of her blond hair tickling his skin.

They stayed in bed for some time, cuddling. The room was filled with silence, none of them being particularly chatty in the morning.    
Jay was playing with Hailey’s hair, while she breathed in and out, following the rise and fall of his chest.

After a while, “Any plans for today?” Hailey asked, her fingers stroking the back of his head, reaching for his short hair.

Jay slightly tilted his head, stopping his movements for a moment, before starting them again. “I’ll say we get out of bed. Get dressed,  _ or not _ – he showed her a smirk as he quickly pinched her sides, making her gasp – and then get coffee,” Hailey nodded vehemently at the mention of the dark beverage. She couldn’t start the day without her dose of caffeine, it was a must in her morning routine.

“After coffee, huh – a short sigh escaped his lips – well, I guess it’s time for gifts,” he saw Hailey’s eyes lit as he said that last word, her lips curled in an excited smile.

They enjoyed each other’s presence for a couple of minutes and then Jay kissed the top of her head, before getting in a sitting position and leaning towards the floor to collect his underwear and white shirt that they had eagerly gotten rid of many hours before.

He passed Hailey the shirt and she quickly sat down, covering her upper chest with the blanket, out of embarrassment. Jay always teased her about that, not really understanding why she’d get so shy when there wasn’t anything that he hadn’t already seen.

The blonde got up as well, stretching her limbs, and then walked to Jay's closet. She looked in her side of the drawer – yes, Jay had sweetly moved part of his wardrobe to make some place for her – and took a pair of shorts, quickly sliding them up her legs.

In the meantime, Jay had already put on his grey sweatpants, to Hailey’s delight (you  _ know _ what they say about grey sweatpants), and was looking at the blonde, studying her every move.

She looked kind of funny, with that oversize white shirt Jay’d given her covering most of her body, but she couldn’t care less.  
The only thought in her mind right now: coffee.

They quickly got out of the room, walking straight to the kitchen. There still was a faint smell of chocolate left.

Jay skillfully started the coffee pot, while Hailey went to the cupboard to get the two cups. She had to get on the tip of her toes, having a hard time trying to reach the cabinet.

Hailey huffed and pouted, turning towards her much taller boyfriend who was too focused on looking outside, through the window.

“Jay, I’m short!” she exclaimed as a matter-of-fact.

He turned to Hailey and chuckled at her weird statement, “And that’s very cute…" he trailed off, tilting his head, not getting what she really meant with her words.

“No. I can’t reach the cupboard,” she whined in a frustrated tone, furrowing her eyebrows and crossing her arms on her chest.

Jay walked to her and pinched her cheek, softly laughing at her. She looked adorable with that frown on her face. “Makes it even cuter,” he commented, getting the two cups himself.

Hailey rolled her eyes at him, hating that he made her blush, and took a seat on the stool, leaning her elbows on the counter. She let out a tiny yawn, covering her mouth, and looked at the clock, noticing that it was only 8.26 in the morning.

She searched for her phone with her eyes and when she remembered she’d left it on the coffee table in the living room, she changed her mind about going to check it. She didn’t feel like getting up again.

Jay placed her fuming coffee-filled cup in front of her and then sat right next to her, moving his stool so they were closer. He watched her as she reached for sugar cubes, putting three of them in her cup, and shook his head. Jay always thought that was way too much sugar for such a petite cup.  
As for Hailey, she thought it was weird ( _ very serial-killer-like _ , to use her words) to drink coffee with no sugar as he did. She was convinced it tasted like an  _ anticipation of death _ , just… yucky. 

As they drank their coffee, Hailey felt Jay’s hand smoothly go on her bare legs, gently caressing her thighs and really,  _ really _ testing her self-control by getting closer and closer to her most intimate body part.    
The blonde glanced at him, finding him already staring at her with a smug smile hidden behind his cup.

_ Two can play this game _ , she thought.   
Hailey got up and went sitting between Jay’s legs,  _ accidentally _ brushing her backside against his front in the process, feeling him release a heavy breath in between her hair.

She heard him clear his throat and she continued to drink her coffee as if nothing happened.  
“Stop teasing,” Jay mumbled in a low tone, even though he wasn’t that sure he wanted her to stop.

Hailey turned around, facing him. “Then don’t start something  _ you know _ you can’t handle,” she said, mockingly stroking his stubbly cheek and looking straight into his green eyes, noticing how much darker they had gotten.

“Who says I can’t?” he asked in a challenging tone, a cocky expression on his face.

They stared at each other for a minute straight, trying to maintain a poker face and not smirk at the other, and then Hailey turned back to finish the rest of her coffee, getting up to get the cup in the sink.  
She ignored the heavy sigh that came from Jay’s lip and briefly left the kitchen to go get her phone.

When she came back, she found that Jay had emptied his cup as well and was now waiting for her. “So,” he wrapped his arms around her, “Time for gifts?” he asked Hailey, quickly kissing her forehead, feeling her nod her head against his chin.

And that was Jay’s cue to go upstairs. When he entered his bedroom he bent down and got a box from under his bed. It was covered in some blue wrapping paper, and as cheesy as it sounded, he chose blue because it was the same color as Hailey’s eyes.  
He also took a pair of old sweatpants that didn’t suit him anymore, figuring Hailey would eventually need them because they weren’t outside, true, but it was  _ still  _ winter. 

Jay got back to Hailey, finding her search through something in her night bag and then extracting a small box from it.   
He handed her the pair of sweatpants, which she gladly accepted, thanking him with a smile.   


They stood next to the kitchen counter and placed their boxes on it.  
“Who’s going first?” Hailey asked timidly, feeling that she was making it all a bit awkward.

“They say ladies first, so… here it is,” Jay slightly pushed the box towards her, nervously biting his bottom lip and looking at her excitedly getting rid of the wrapping paper and finally opening the box.

Hailey gasped as she extracted a stack of books out of the box, reading their cover. Jay had gifted her a collection of all of Virginia Woolf’s novels. The peculiarity was the fact that they were all first editions. Big deal.  _ Huge  _ deal. You had to go the ultra (not extra) mile to find them.   
She was not believing her eyes, and “Okay, Hails, if it sucks just say it, but at least say something,” yes, her silence was starting to freak Jay out.

Hailey didn’t know what to say, still in disbelief. She put down her gift and went to Jay, getting on the tip of her toes and cupping his face in her hands, softly kissing his lips. “It’s amazing, you’re amazing,” she said, feeling a lump in her throat as she pronounced those words.

She truly felt the luckiest woman for having Jay in his life. Each passing day he mastered at showing her how much he cared for her, even with the smallest gesture, and most of the time she felt like she didn’t deserve him. Every day was Christmas with Jay by her side.

Jay chuckled, now relieved, and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck and then hugging her tight. “You like it?” he checked in again, feeling her nod her head against him.

They pulled apart and Hailey sniffled a bit, still emotional. “Your turn,” she said. “Well, I actually got you two gifts – she smiled sheepishly – this one is more basic, open it first,” she instructed, a wide smile on her lips.

“Hailey… why two?” Jay protested, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.

“Just open it!” she dismissively waved her hand.

Jay opened the box and found a silver watch, smiling at Hailey’s thoughtfulness.

“Super basic, I know – she blushed, her feet rocking back and forth – but since that suspect broke yours a couple of weeks ago, I figured it could be at least useful,” Hailey shrugged.

Jay bent over and kissed her forehead, caressing the back of her head. “Thank you,” he mumbled with his lips against her skin.

“Now the second one,” Hailey eagerly patted his arm, pulling away, “Go get it, it’s in my night bag.”

He did as he was told and then walked back in front of her. He was smiling with curiosity as he was undoing the wrapping paper. When he removed every part of it, he felt his heart skip a beat at what was in his hand.  
Jay was holding a much bigger version of the picture he’d showed Hailey a couple of days ago. He could see his mother’s face, every little particular of it. All the hazy details and washed-up corners were long gone, making it look like a brand new photograph.

“Hailey…” he intensely looked at her. It was a look that spoke a million words, silently thanking her, also telling her that she didn’t have to, but he still was grateful.   
He had glossy eyes and his lips were in a tight-lipped smile, feeling stuck. He didn’t know how to thank her, he felt like  _ thank you _ wouldn’t be enough this time.

She tilted her head at him, reaching for his face with her hand. “Hey,” Hailey gently stroked his cheek. “It’s okay, take your time.”

But Jay didn’t need time. In that exact moment, it hit him and he  _ knew _ .   
He knew the meaning of whatever was going on in his chest and stomach. It had a name and maybe he wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet, but he knew.

He embraced her again, easily lifting her body and making her sit on the counter so that now they were the same height. Jay kissed her passionately, trying to express what he was feeling with his actions, knowing the words he would use wouldn’t do it justice. “ _ You _ are amazing,” he told her, repeating her own words and locking his eyes with hers. “Seriously, thank you, Hailey. What you did… it truly means a lot,” he muttered, quickly kissing her again, his hands never leaving her body.

Hailey showed a big smile, happy that  _ he _ was happy. “You mean what  _ you _ did..?” she retorted back, not surprised to see him staring at her with a puzzled expression.

“Jay, you literally got me to celebrate Christmas again after, what?, more than two decades? It means a lot, too," she explained, her fingers fidgeting.

He kissed her cheek, caressing her chin, “And I loved every second of it.”

Hailey exhaled a content sigh, “Me too.”

“I’m truly looking forward to celebrating more Christmases with you,” Jay confessed, blushing.

The blonde hugged him again, enlacing her fingers behind his neck. “As long as you make that amazing hot chocolate, I’m sold,” she nodded with a smirk.

“I’ll do whatever you want me to,” Jay swore, before catching her lips in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAS!  
> I know I'm late, but yesterday I got super busy and I started writing the chapter at 7 PM, I finished at almost midnight and I got too tired to edit it or do anything at all. I'm sorry but hey, here it is, I guess it is an actual Christmas gift, no?
> 
> I wanna know your thoughts on it, honestly truly lol  
> Eh. It was a short journey, but I loved every minute of it. I wanna say thank you to those of you who spend even a few seconds of their time to write a review, share your opinion and show me support. I appreciate it and it truly means a lot to me, you have no idea! THANK YOUUUUU! 💕💕💕
> 
> Title + song lyrics: Everyday is Christmas by Sia
> 
> I hope you have a nice day, whether or not you celebrate Christmas! 🎄💕

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeeey how are you doing?  
> So... as you know, it's Christmas time (duh), so I though it wouldn't be a bad idea to post an Upstead fic. It'll be very short, 4 chapters at max and I intend to post a chapter every day, so I can finish it all on Christmas Eve (I figured those of you who celebrate Christmas won't have time to read fan fictions on Christmas day lol - and if you don't celebrate Christmas, well, you can re-read it, no? LOL), consider it as my gift for all of you.  
> I read the super kind comments you leave and I appreciate every single one of them, I truly love you all!
> 
> The title of the fic is from the song Fireside by Arctic Monkeys, probably one of my favorite songs; at the beginning of the chapter you can read a line from Photograph by Ed Sheeran - I don't really listen to his music anymore, but it went well with the content of this chapter.  
> Let me know your thoughts on this first chapter, I know it's shorter than usual, but yeah it is what it is AHAHAHA remember that English is not my first language so, please, have mercy! LOL
> 
> You'll hear from me tomorrow, I'll be here with chapter 2 (I'm currently writing it and all I can say is that it's a lot, you'll see).
> 
> Love you all, stay safe! ❤  
> PS: let's be friends, I'm @5021ZAIN on both Twitter and Tumblr :)


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